on the road again…| south dakota | custer state park | white-tailed deer, mule deer and a horny turkey

Now this may not be new info to my more rural readers, but I recently learned how to tell the difference between white-tailed deer and mule deer. Easiest way? Look at their tails. White-tailed deer have a distinctive white edging to their tails like this:

On a mule deer, the tail is thin and white with a black tip, like this:

Also, the ears are a dead giveaway. Mule deer are channeling Dumbo with those ginormous ears. A side-by-side, white-tailed deer on top:

See? Sizeable difference. Still cute af tho. Would totally pet if permitted. Would probably not be permitted.

Now, you may be thinking “no shit.” To that I say HEY! I LIVED IN NEW YORK CITY FOR A DECADE! Our “wildlife” consisted of mice, mutant cockroaches, gross pigeons, large rats, “holy-shit-that-rat-is-larger-than-my-dog” rats, and the occasional squirrel, which is really just a rat in a cuter outfit.** Seeing deer may not be exciting to you, but it is to me. Try to appreciate my childlike wonder hehehe.

Switching gears, this dude wild turkey was trying really hard to smash. The lady wild turkeys gave zero fucks. It was like watching last call at the bar. With turkeys. And significantly less booze and significantly more trees.